Nagaon, May 23: The state election commission today postponed the Karbi Anglong Autonomous Council elections to June 17 for security reasons. Earlier, the polls were scheduled to be held on June 12.
According to the new schedule, the date of polling is June 17, repoll, if any, will be held on June 20 and counting will be held on June 22.
The autonomous council has 26 constituencies. Altogether 186 candidates have submitted nominations this time.
Corruption, backwardness and misrule are the main poll issues.
Eleven dissident BJP leaders, including six executive members of the 11th Karbi Anglong Autonomous Council, have floated a platform, the Karbi Anglong Democratic Forum, to contest the council elections separately as they did not get party tickets.
The Forum claimed that it would play the role of kingmaker in the formation of the 12th council.
Those who are in the Forum include the six BJP leaders who were executive members. They are Surjya Rangfar, Dhansing Kro, Bidya Singh Rangpi, Pradip Sinar, D.U. Muflai and Jiban Pathak.
“We left the Congress and joined the BJP a year ago and the state-level BJP leaders had assured us tickets when we joined. That promise should be kept,” said a dissident BJP leader who is now a member of the Forum.
Its convener, Surjya Rangfar, today told this correspondent that 13 candidates, including 11 dissident BJP leaders, had gathered under one umbrella organisation, projecting some common issues for overall development of the hill district.
“We promise to give people of the hill district a taste of good governance. A post-poll strategy of the platform will be designed once the election is over,” Rangfar said. The executive member in-charge- of health, is a candidate from Deupani.
Pathak and Kro will contest from Bokajan and Kapili.
“The Congress was in power in the council for 15 years and people here did not witness any development during its rule. Those who are now BJP leaders are from the Congress and we do not think these people can bring any change,” said Bor Sing Ranghang, a Karbi intellectual.
Kro is one among the 26 Hills State Demand Council (HSDC) candidates this time.
“There is dissidence in the Congress too and people are not at all satisfied with candidate selections. The infighting is tremendous in the BJP as the number of ticket aspirants is maximum,” said Dhan Sing Tokbi, a Diphu businessman.
The BJP leadership, however, has claimed that the dissidence among ticket aspirants is under control and the party is campaigning in all constituencies “comfortably”.
“We are in an advantageous position as the Oppositions is a divided house. Voters want a government which would can curry favour with the Narendra Modi government in New Delhi and the Sarbananda Sonowal government in Dispur,” a BJP source said.
